Consumer protection in the modern economy is built on a foundation that includes common law tort, government regulation, and competitive marketplace pressures. In the current environment, institutions must find a way to adequately protect consumer welfare while also enabling innovation and promoting choice.

The Study Group on the Economics of Consumer Protection is a NEW program designed to provide state attorneys general, state solicitors general, and their staff lawyers an understanding of the economic underpinnings of consumer protection that can aid their decision making. Through a series of classroom style lectures and discussions, this study group will examine how deploying economic tools can illuminate both the potential benefits and the unintended consequences of various consumer protection approaches.